First Kiss
by Marshmellow2008
Summary: The trio are in the middle of their 5th year. Harry starts to feel "differently" toward Hermione. Hermione and Ron continue with their constant arguing. The trio find out that there are going to be yearly balls held at Hogwarts. Harry wants to ask Hermion


Summary: The trio are in the middle of their 5th year. Harry starts to feel "differently" toward Hermione. Hermione and Ron continue with their constant arguing. The trio find out that there are going to be yearly balls held at Hogwarts. Harry wants to ask Hermione, but will he ever conjure up enough courage?  
  
Disclaimer: The characters and spoilers that are contained in this story were not created by me. They all belong to the author of the Harry Potter novels, J. K. Rowling.  
  
Category: Romance  
  
Ships: H/Hr, R/L  
  
Year at Hogwarts: 5  
  
  
  
It was another noisy Saturday in the common room. The common room was, naturally, crowded. It was so loud that Harry felt that he was losing his hearing.   
  
"Harry! Why don't you, Hermione, and I go outside for a while???" Ron yelled to him, trying to get his words to travel over the crowd.   
  
It took Harry's brain a minute to receive and understand what Ron had said, but he finally got the message. "Great idea! Where's Hermione?" He yelled back.   
  
"I'm over here! I'll go get my sweater, and we can head out," Hermione called, not far from Harry, almost lost in the crowded room. She apparently had somehow heard Harry and Ron's small conversation.   
  
Hermione left and quickly came back with her sky blue sweater on. The trio began to walk downstairs and outside. Ron and Harry were joking around, Hermione laughing at their clown-ish looks. They were making humerous impressions of Percy and Draco. They were being so over exaggerating, Harry and Ron's faces were forced with goofy eye-crossings and grins.  
  
Harry turned to say something to Hermione, but no words came out. 'She is so pretty today. She looks so happy.' Harry surprised himself greatly with these thoughts. Was he okay? He looked at Hermione again, but the same awkward feeling toward her rushed through him.   
  
Hermione looked at Harry. "Are you okay?" She questioned. She had a confused look on her face.   
  
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," He replied. Trying not to make Hermione suspect things, he turned and started to joke with Ron again, tying to act as casual as he could.  
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That evening, at dinner, Hermione had only one book with her (Standard Book of Spells: Grade Five). She was reading, what seemed to be page 253, chapter 6 to herself as she ate.   
  
Everytime Harry's eyes fell on Hermione, so many thoughts rushed through him, that his stomach began to leap a thousand miles per second. He felt as if he was going to explode right there! He wished he could just let all of his feelings out and not have to worry about them anymore, but it wasn't that simple. He would have to be able to admit it to Hermione, Ron, along with himself.   
  
"Harry, are you okay?" Ron asked him. " You're just frozen there like you are petrified!"   
  
Harry snapped away from all of his mixed feelings. "Wha- Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," He informed Ron. He looked down at the large dinner. His stomach was so jumpy, he didn't feel like eating.   
  
"So, Harry! Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Hermione asked him. "They have a sale on butterbeer at Honeydukes!" She looked up from her book.   
  
Harry thought for a moment, still trying not to look her in the eyes. He didn't want to look like he saw a Basilisk. "Yeah, I'll go...," he answered, fumbling with his fork. Hermione nodded and resumed to her book contently.  
  
"Holy Cricket! Did you know that there is a spell called Acnitem Pylonious? It's sort of a love spell. Millions of famous wizards and witches used it," Hermione cried out, laughing. She soon had to put her hand over her mouth, after receiving quite a few stares from around the room.   
  
Harry was startled at the words "love spell", as it came out of Hermione's mouth. His thoughts were again, interrupted.   
  
"Since when, do you, Hermione Granger, laugh about something in a book? You usually take it more seriously than death!" Ron exclaimed at Hermione's outburst, and smiled weirdly.   
  
Hermione closed her book and held it over Ron's head, only a few inches away from hitting him with it. Ron got a disturbed look on is face as he saw how huge the book was.   
  
"Sorry Hermione," he said quickly, "Don't hit me with that book! I'm too young to die!" He yelled out in fear, putting his arms over his red head.   
  
Hermione finally calmed down a bit, and merely frowned at Ron. She then sat down and quietly ate the rest of her dinner.  
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Harry woke up the next morning after having a dream about Hermione. His feelings for her began to grow stronger each day. He seemed to always be thinking about her. He wished he had the courage to tell Hermione how he felt.   
  
"Harry! C'mon! We need to hurry up and eat, then get down to Hogsmeade," Ron said, leaving the boys' dormitory.   
  
Harry got up and dressed. Then, walked down to the Great Hall, to sit at the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore was standing up, tapping his goblet.   
  
"From now on," the Headmaster went on, "We will be holding a yearly ball for 4th years and up. The one for this year will be scheduled for next Sunday! That gives you only a week to ask that special someone!" Dumbledore finished, smiling and winked at the room.   
  
"Not another ball!" Ron whispered to Harry, " I had enough trouble to get someone to go with me last year, and I didn't even ask her myself!" He frowned and muttered to himself, "And she didn't like me anyway......" He sighed and put his hand under his chin.   
  
"I guess your problems are over, Ron! I'll go to this ball with you," Lavender yelled from the other end of the table.   
  
"Okay, I'll go with you, Lavender...," Ron called back to her. He had a false oh-well-it's-better-than-nothing look on his face as Harry glanced at him. Harry knew that Ron was glad about it.  
  
"Well, now you can't complain! That was awfully quick! I don't think you should complain until you really know what you are talking about!!!" Hermione said to Ron. She loved correcting him, you could really tell by the satisfied look on her face as she finished her short lecture.   
  
"Yeah, yeah! Whatever," Ron replied to Hermione's routine correction. He started frowning again.   
  
After this conversation/argument was over, Harry began to fall into thought once more. This could be the perfect opportunity to let Hermione know how he felt! He could ask her to the ball!. But would he have the courage to ask her? Harry sighed and finished his breakfast, thinking.  
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It was very sunny, as they walked on the paths through Hogsmeade. Harry was worried. He didn't think he could stand going to the ball with someone other than Hermione. She seemed to be the only one that would make Harry's time at the ball worth while.   
  
He had already come up with exactly how to ask her- 'Hermione, I was wondering if you'd go to the ball with me. I mean I know we're just friends right now, but I was just wondering if you'd consider going with me...... No no. that's not it...' He wished they could just go ahead and go as more than just friends to begin with, but it didn't feel normal to ask her something like that...  
  
Harry let out a lond sigh. Maybe he would go with the original way to ask. He was so confused. He had been friends with Hermione for so long and now, all of the sudden, he felt differently about her. He didn't know what to do. All of these new feelings were going to eat his brain away.   
  
Ron went into Honeydukes getting some butterbeer. Hermione and Harry were alone now. Harry was going to ask her. This may be his only chance. 'Go ahead' his heart told him, but his brain kept repeating, 'No. Not yet.' Harry took a deep, silent beath and tried anyway.  
  
"Hermione..will..you..will....um...go..," Harry thought this was weird... It didn't come out right. 'I give up, I can't do it!' He thought.   
  
"Excuse me. I'm sorry, what were you trying to say, Harry?" Hermione asked him. She seemed to think she wasn't hearing straight. She gave him a questioning look.   
  
"Nevermind...," Harry replied. What else could he say? He couldn't possibly try again! It made him feel like an idiot when he asked Cho at the last ball.   
  
Ron finally came back with the butterbeer. It seemed as though it took forever to Harry, having to stand there in silence with Hermione next to him, after almost making a fool of himself. Harry was relieved that Ron was back to break the silence.   
  
They spent the rest of the day looking around. Ron went off with Lavender. He was "going out" with her for one day, and it already seemed that they were seriously together and had been for like months.   
  
Harry and Hermione split up. Harry went to the different places and bought a few things. Cho walked passed when he was walking into one of the shops. Harry looked at her. 'Yes! For once he could see her walk by and have not fall over or do something stupid! He didn't like Cho anymore! He was free from her! ....But, he now had Hermione to worry about...'  
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Time passed at an average rate, but it was still went too slow to Harry. He was glad when he finally got back to the boys' dormitory.   
  
"So, have you asked anyone to the ball yet, Harry?" Ron asked him. He was smiling, probably thinking about Lavender.   
  
"No, I haven't asked anyone yet. And Ron by the way, I'm just letting you know, it's not like you and Lavender are really together yet! You can't get too happy just because she's the first girl to ever ask you to a ball on her own free will," Harry explained to Ron. 'Oops. Ron's mad now!' Harry soon realized that he shouldn't have said what he did.   
  
"Oh, Yeah!? This is the first girl to EVER be so nice to me! I'm tired of living "underneath" my brothers! They get everything! This could be the first time a girl has ever liked me for who I am! Not what I look like, or how famous i am!" Ron yelled madly and glared at Harry.   
  
"Sorry, Ron. I have a bit on my shoulders... I just let my frustration out on you." Harry told Ron.   
  
"It's okay..." Ron replied, mumbling to himself a bit.   
  
Harry tossed some, unable to sleep. He could't get his confused mind off of Hermione. He wanted so badly to tell Hermione simply that he had feelings for her that went farther than friendship, but Harry knew it wasn't going to be that easy. He couldn't just blurt it out all of the sudden. What if Hermione avoided him after he poured himself out? He couldn't let that happen. It would tear him apart.  
  
Harry decided to focus on good thoughts, envisioning Hermione laughing and smiling with him. He soon was able to fall asleep.  
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It all finally came to the day of the ball.   
  
"C'mon, Harry! The ball starts in an hour! You need to get dressed!" Ron yelled, shaking him awake.   
  
"I'm not going!!! I'm staying here!" Harry moaned at him.   
  
"What!? No one to go with???" Ron questioned.   
  
"I'm just not going!!!!!!!!" Harry yelled back.   
  
"Fine!" Ron griped. He was already in his dress robes. Fred gave him his old ones. They looked much better than the ones Mrs. Weasley bought for him. Ron stomped out of the boys' dorm.   
  
The ball had already gone on for 10 minutes. Harry felt he HAD to do something. The ten minutes seemed more like 5 hours to him. He finally got dressed. He was going to go to that ball with Hermione no matter what stood in his way.   
  
Harry ran to the Great Hall. He spotted Ron and his red hair in the middle of the dance floor with Lavender. He ran over to him.   
  
He was out of breath by now. "Have you seen Hermione?" Harry was barely able to get out of him, and tried to catch his breath.   
  
"No. She never showed up! She's probably being her idiot self and staying away from the rest of the normal ones." Ron said, then got back to dancing with Lavender.  
  
Harry interrupted their dance and grabbed Rons colar. "Don't EVER put her down like that again!" Harry yelled so almost the entire Great Hall could hear him.  
  
"What? You like her or something? How can anyone like her??" Ron asked, mocking Harry in a half-sacrcastic, half oh-my-god way.  
  
Harry tightened his grip on Ron's colar. Ron gulped and gave Harry a look as if he thought his best friend had gone completely mad. "I DO like her. As a matter of fact, I love Hermione!" Harry exhaled and then sighed with relief. He let go of his feelings. He finally he let go of them!  
  
Harry walked out of the Great Hall. He sat down on the stairs in front of the door. He had to get away from the loud music for a while. 'Think, think, think, think, think! Where does Hermione usually go to to get away? Yes! The library!!!!'   
  
He ran all the way to the library. His lungs were about to burst, but he kept going. He had to find Hermione. He had to admit his how he felt to her as well.  
  
He opened the door. Madame Pince wasn't there to yell at Harry about his overdue books. At least that was an avantage. He found Hermione at the other side of the room. She was looking out the window. She had a long, flowing white gown on. It was somewhat plain, yet magnificant. It hand feathery sleeved that came around from the back of her arms. It came down, perfectly around every curve. The skirt moved smoothly to her feet.  
  
To Harry, white was the perfect colour for Hermione. You usually read about angels being ones to wear white. That's why it was the perfect colour for her. She was the angel to save him from the evil in life.   
  
Hermione turned around, hearing Harry's footsteps. She was crying. She wiped her tears away quickly, trying to hide the fact that she was upset. "Wh- what are you doing here, Harry?"   
  
"Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?" Harry asked her kindly. He crossed his fingers behind his back and began to become worried about what she was going to say.  
  
"What?" Hermione said in surprise.  
  
"Hermione, I think I'm ...er..... falling in love with you. This whole time I never realized it, but you are the only one for me. I've been hav-" Harry was interrupted by Hermione. At least he achieved his goal! He DID get to admit everything to Hermione!   
  
"Oh, Harry! I don't know what to say..." Hermione looked at him. Harry knew it. He shouldn't have said it. This made him feel terrible. His whole body shifted and drooped.  
  
Then Hermione did something that Harry would have never expected in his life! She kissed him gently on the lips. Fireworks went off inside his heart. His first kiss. The one he would remember all of his life! He was so happy to share it with Hermione. The kiss seemed to last an eternity, yet it was still too short for Harry.   
  
"I'll be more than happy to go to the ball with you!" Hermione exclaimed. She grabbed his hand and they set off.   
  
They entered the Great Hall. Their happiness caught everyone's attention. Everyone smiled at them as they entered the room. They set off their amazing night with a slow dance in the center of the room.   
  
Harry tripped over his own feet a couple of times because he was so happy. Hermione just giggled a little, but she was so glad to be there with Harry, that she didn't hold it against him.  
  
Harry was certain that this was one night that he would NEVER forget. 


End file.
